Why Are The Interests Of The Child Secondary To Some "arrangement"?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32603514
Surely a child is better off with it's mother.

[Retrochic]

tora, not all mothers are angels or children better off with them. I recall at seven years old wishing someone would adopt me my mother was so horrible.

[anotheoldgit]

The Mother's problem was that she dared to criticise gays.

/// Ms Justice Russell said the woman had used "offensive language" including "stereotypical images and descriptions of gay men" and had "insinuated that gay men in same-sex relationships behave in a sexually disinhibited manner" and were "sexually disloyal to each other". ///

[Retrochic]

no AOG the problem was the mother entered into an agreement with the men, probably with monitory contributions , then rescinded on it.

[Canary42]

///Surely a child is better off with it's mother.///

Baby P springs to mind, for one.

[Gromit]

// Surely a child is better off with it's mother. //

That's a very naive statement.

The mother and fathers are probably all suitable. But she entered into an agreement. And the Judge ruled she had broken the agreement which is why the case went against her.

[bednobs]

you can't really make a blanket statement that all children are better off with their mothers - it's patently untrue.
perhaps the interests of the child are best served in a two parent household?

[jno]

who says the interests of the child are secondary? The law says they're paramount, and that's exactly what the judge said too.

Ms Justice Russell said it was in the 'best interests' of the one-year-old girl to live with her father.

[Old_Geezer]

Do not wish to get into a discussion regarding whether a single mother or a gay couple are best to act as parents. But it seems to me that there was precious little mentioned of paperwork and contracts, so I assume it was a case of whom the court believed. It is perfectly possible the mother's behaviour worked against her; and it does sound more likely to me that such an arrangement would be a surrogacy one, rather than a gay man opting to father a single woman's child for her.

[ToraToraTora]

ok for those who are picking the odd psycho I suppose I'm going to have to spell it out. If the mother is sound then in these cases the child is better off with the mother. geddit?

[woofgang]

TTT, that's a really stupid and naive statement.

[ToraToraTora]

so it's in the best interests of the child to live with 2 dads and no mum then jno? right oh!

[bednobs]

no, i don't geddit, sorry. Two parents are better htan one i reckon :)

[ummmm]

No...I don't geddit?

The world has moved on. Fathers are not just breadwinners nowadays. They are perfectly capable of being as good as women at parenting.

I would say that my OH is a better parent than me.

[jno]

two parents are often better than one, yes. It certainly helps with childcare arrangements. But the court, having heard the evidence (as we have not), has specifically decided that this child is better with these parents. That doesn't mean the same decision will always be reached.

Try to think of it as a single mother now able to rejoin the workforce instead of claiming benefits for 16 years.

[hc4361]

It is in the best interests of the child to live with the parent who is best able to nurture, love, protect and care for the child if the child can't live with both natural parents.

[MallyJ]

It is in the best interests of any child to live with someone/some people who love it and will bring it up to be a constructive member of the society in which it lives.... and part of that is, arguably, with open minds about others. Nothing worse than hearing a child spout abusive comments about others that it has learned from the adults around it.

[andy-hughes]

TTT - //ok for those who are picking the odd psycho I suppose I'm going to have to spell it out. If the mother is sound then in these cases the child is better off with the mother. geddit?//

Absolutely - which is why, in this case, the court has ruled that the child is better without the mother, because the mother is not 'sound'.

[bednobs]

it makes me very cross when people put men down as not able parents - doubly so when it's a man putting down his own sex. Are you saying that men are in general crappy parents TTT? Are you a crappy parent (or would you have been)? Are you saying that men are just stupid and incabable when it comes to parenting?

[ToraToraTora]

I was not marking their "parenting" skills out of 10. Children are generally best rasied in a family with the standard configuration. 2 same sex people co habiting are not the best environment to raise a child.

[FrogNog]

On what evidence do you base that assertion TTT?